The Spanish American War

1895: Cuban Independence Movement Since its discovery in 1493, Cuba was a colony of

Spain. Over the years, Cubans wanted greater control of their government.

In 1895, Cubans revolted against Spanish colonial rule. In response, the Spanish army gathered several hundred thousand Cubans into concentration camps.

Click here to find out what the Spanish did to the Cubans with their Reconcentration Policy.

January 1898: U.S. battleship Maine arrives in Havana Harbor

Click here to learn what happened to the U.S. Maine in Havana Harbor.

Yellow Journalism Yellow journalism is newspaper writing that exaggerates

and sometimes makes up news stories.

Newspapers of this time period used yellow journalism to sell newspapers. It often changed the public’s perception about events that occurred.

Click here to find out which newspapers used yellow journalism.

April 1898: The Road to War President McKinley requested and Congress approved

$50 million to prepare for war. Spain offered to negotiate but would not consider Cuban independence. Congress then passed a resolution on April 20 declaring the island independent and giving Spain three days to leave the island.

In response to the U.S. declaration that Spain had to leave Cuba, Spain declared war on the U.S.

The Rough Riders The most colorful

group of soldiers in the war was the First Volunteer Cavalry.

Click here to find out why.

Click here to view footage of the Rough Riders.

Casualties of War The majority of deaths in

the Spanish American War were not due to combat.

Click here to find out what caused the majority of casualties.

February 1899: Treaty of Paris ratified The U.S. Navy trapped the Spanish fleet in the

harbor of Santiago de Cuba in June 1898.

On July 3, the Spanish fleet tried to break through the blockade but was destroyed.

Click here to find out the terms of the peace treaty ratified in February of the next year.

Note: use the timeline links at the bottom of the page to find the treaty information.

The Fight for the Philippines

President McKinley believed the US would benefit from the purchase of the Philippines by gaining a naval port. Filipino rebels had helped US forces capture Manila. Now they expected independence. When they realized the US intended to keep the islands, the rebels began a guerilla war against the US.

The Fight for the Philippines Some 70,000 US soldiers fought in the

Philippines. Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos died

before the conflict ended 3 years later. The US maintained control, allowing the

Filipinos some governing control. In 1946, the US granted independence to

the Philippines.

The map below displays territory gained by the US in the Spanish American War.